Deutsche Bank backs Palestine children’s charity

Dubai, March 26, 2013

Deutsche Bank’s Middle East Foundation has partnered with Palestine Association for Children’s Encouragement of Sport (PACES) by supporting its programmes in Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon for 2013.

The programme will start with 240 groups of children and this will grow during the program cycle in 2013. Each group will have 20 or 25 children for a total of 5,785 children.

Not only does PACES provide fun, educational and health initiatives to its children, but it also creates jobs – for the 2013 programme cycle it will create employment for 321 coaches.

Philippe Vollot, chairman of Deutsche Bank’s Middle East Foundation and the bank’s regional chief operating officer, said: “We are delighted to be able to support this inspiring project again in 2013 through our Middle East Foundation. In Deutsche Bank we are fully committed to improve the lives of disadvantaged children. PACES has proven its continuous support for these children and has an impressive track-record.”

Hani Qattan, founder and chairman of Palestine Association for Children’s Encouragement of Sport, said: "We are delighted and honoured by the support of Deutsche Bank’s Middle East Foundation. Such support will allow us to grow our programmes and create much-needed employment in the centres and the camps which house our programs.

“In addition to the 321 coaches who we employ, we will also provide paid internships to 200-300 young men and women who have recently graduated from our programs. We look forward to many more years of support from Deutsche Bank’s Middle East Foundation as such a strategic long-term relationship is important to our philosophy and sustainability."

This is the fourth time that Deutsche Bank’s Middle East Foundation supports PACES since the Foundation's establishment in 2008.

PACES was founded with the primary goal of providing healthy, safe, and structured after-school sports programs for Palestinian girls and boys living in marginalized communities and refugee camps.

Its objectives is to provide girls and boys with a healthy, fun and safe after-school activity, to empower girls and women through sports, to use sports as a means to drive positive behavior change in children and to promote sports as an important part of the community’s social fabric. – TradeArabia News Service